Time Heals All Wounds
by Lauraline94
Summary: Mac is still recovering from the mission in Italy and he doesn't exactly follow Doctor's orders. It's a good thing he has Jack to look after him. Tag to pilot episode: "The Rising." Takes place after the mission in Italy and before it shows Mac running with the caption "3 months later." This is my take on some of that missing time. Lots of hurt/comfort, angst, and bromance within:)
1. Chapter 1

**I wanted to give a big thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, or favorited my first story, "The New Cairo." You guys made my day! I can't tell you how nervous I was about posting it, but all of your kind words made me so happy that I did. Also, I promise you that I haven't given up on that story. I'm hoping to have the second chapter posted soon. I have started on the second chapter, but it needs some more tweaking before I'm happy with it. Haha, I'm starting to feel like I bit off more than I could chew for my first fanfic. Anyways thanks again!**

 **Here is a tag to the first episode. This story idea was an excuse to write some hurt/comfort. I was starting to get a bit frustrated with my other story, so I decided to take a small break to write this one. Just as a note: I have NO medical knowledge, so anything medical you read here take with a grain of salt ;)**

 **Hope you enjoy! Please leave me a review to tell me what you thought : ) There's angst galore in this story (hopefully not too much). But let's face it, is there really such a thing as too much angst? ;)**

 **Time Heals All Wounds**

 **Chapter 1**

Jack walked up the path to Mac and Bozer's house at a slow saunter. He was trying to make this seem like a casual visit, but in reality he was here on a mission. It was killing him to get inside as fast as he could to check on his partner and make sure that he was resting and following doctor's orders. Knowing Mac, the kid would be itchin' to be doin' something and would have a hard time keeping his promise to stay put.

Jack's mind couldn't help but stray to thoughts about everything that had happened it recent weeks as he continued up the path. It had been a rough few weeks and, really, rough didn't even begin to cover it. Mac had spent two weeks in the hospital recovering from a critical bullet wound to the chest.

It really should have been longer, but Mac was stubborn and had wanted out of there as soon as possible. Two weeks was the absolute earliest the medical professionals were willing to discharge Mac. At the end of two weeks they discharged him, but no one was happy about it. Jack definitely felt the kid needed more time, but Mac had become restless. And everyone knew that if they hadn't released him soon, he would have found a way to slip past security himself.

They had grudgingly released him, but not before his surgeon and doctor had given him strict instructions to take it easy. Mac was to continue taking some medications to keep him safe from infection and was to keep the wound itself clean and well bandaged until it had completely healed. They had said absolutely no strenuous activity for at least the first month and a half. And even then, he was supposed to start out easy and slowly work his way up to higher levels of activity. They estimated that it would take him about three months to fully heal if he followed all of their care procedures; and up to 6 months if he didn't.

Jack was going to sit on him and make sure Mac was following the Doctors' orders to a T. Not to mention Jack was more than a little worried about his partner. He wasn't just worried about Mac's physical health, but was also worried about his mental health.

After coming out of surgery, Mac had been eerily silent. He hadn't said more than a few sentences the whole two weeks he had been in the hospital. Mac had now been home for about 5 days into the third week since the mission in Italy and Mac hadn't said much more. Mac had gone on full lock down. He had been pushing everyone away, including Jack, and had become distant.

But Jack was determined to get the kid back to his normal self. He had been visiting him daily to check on him. Honestly, Jack had wanted to stay with the kid 24/7 but Mac had insisted on the space. Jack had reluctantly agreed, only because he was hoping that with some space and some time, Mac would open up more.

The incident in Italy had hit Mac hard. On all fronts: physically, emotionally, and mentally. The poor kid was a mess. Losing Nikki had been a hard blow and Jack suspected Mac was shouldering the blame for what happened. He knew the kid felt he was somehow responsible for how the mission went down; that it was his fault that Nikki was killed and that the bad guys got away with the bio weapon.

Jack was going to make sure that Mac knew that none of what happened was his fault and that he had done everything he could. Jack's goal was to get Mac on the up and up on all accounts. Jack pushed aside the painful thoughts and brought himself back to the present as he reached the front door.

Jack didn't even bother to knock as he entered Mac and Bozer's house. He entered the house and was greeted by the heavenly scent of what could only be the smell of Bozer's famous waffles. "Mac, Boze I'm hoooome!" he announced as he tried to shut the door behind him. He had to awkwardly juggle the paper bag, which had a container of chicken noodle soup, with the Bruce Willis movie he had in his hands in order to close the door. He had brought both the bag of food and the movie over for Mac.

"In here Jack!" He heard Bozer shout in greeting.

Once the door had been closed, he made his way down the hall to the kitchen.

"Heya Boze! Man, those smell great!" Jack greeted as he entered the kitchen to see Bozer bustling about. He was moving around dishes, pots, and pans while wearing a flour covered apron that read: "Kiss the Chef."

Jack leaned up against the counter and pushed some items to the side so he could set his things on the clustered countertop. Moving some of the cookware aside he noticed a plate stacked tall with fluffy, golden waffles. While Bozer's back was turned, he quickly, and what he thought was stealthily, reached across to snag one of the perfect squares from the top of the stack. He gave a startled yelp when Bozer swung around and swatted the top of his hand with a spatula.

Jack retracted his hand and gave Bozer a wounded glare. "Hey! What the heck was that for?"

"Those are for Mac," Bozer scolded, turning back around. " Also, had I known that you would take Mac's offer so seriously and just barge in willy nilly, I would have never let Mac tell you that you didn't have to knock," Bozer teased as he went back to making more waffles.

"Oh, don't pretend Boze," Jack said with a sly grin, "we both know you love having me here." Bozer gave a small snort in reply, but Jack continued on as though he hadn't heard it. "Speaking of our boy, how's he doin'?" Jack quietly asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

Bozer stopped what he was doing and turned to give Jack a somber look and a small head shake. "Not so great," he sighed. "I don't think he slept at all last night. From the sound of it, what little sleep he did get, it was not ….," Bozer seemed to pause trying to find the right word, "good." He finally finished.

Jack could tell that when Bozer said " not good" that he was sugar coating the harsh reality and wasn't giving the whole story. Well, and honestly, he didn't need to. Jack knew Mac well enough to know exactly what Bozer was saying. It wouldn't have been the first time that the kid's sleep had been riddled with nightmares.

They had gone through this whole dance before when Mac had come back from Afghanistan. And, unfortunately, they revisited it when Mac had a bad day or had experienced an especially rough mission. Things seemed to have a way to come back and haunt Mac while he was asleep and his usual barriers were vulnerable.

Jack swore underneath his breath. The kid needed the sleep to heal. Not only that, but this behavior was very telling about Mac's mental state. He clearly wasn't up to snuff and staying up all night because of recent events wasn't going to do him any favors.

Jack shifted gears. He stood up from his lean against the counter and he peered from the kitchen into the living room, searching for any sign of a mop-top of blonde hair. "Where's he at now?"

"He went out for a run. He's been gone a while now, so I'm thinking he'll be back any minute," Bozer said, adding his last batch of waffles to the stack on the plate.

Jack whipped his head around so fast he instantly regretted it as his neck popped in protest. "He went for a run!?"

Bozer stopped what he was doing to give Jack a concerned stare. It was obvious he was taken back by Jack's reaction. "Uhhh…yeah. He went for a run. What's the big deal?" he said haltingly as though Jack was losing his marbles. "If you ask me, I think a run should do him good. He's been pacing around the house like a caged tiger all week. He needed to get out."

Anger and worry were warring for dominance as Jack took in the information. _Damn!_ Jack knew he should have been staying over to keep an eye on Mac. He had only left, because Mac had become insistent that he didn't need a "babysitter" and that he just wanted some space.

Jack had decided to ease up a little bit on the detail and had only been coming over during the day to check-up on his partner. He had really wanted to stay, but at the time he couldn't seem to deny his friend the space that he said that he needed.

Now he was full-heartedly regretting his decision. Jack could feel that his anger was currently winning out over worry. He wasn't necessarily angry at Mac, but was mostly angry at himself. He just seemed to keep failing his partner.

He definitely wasn't mad at Bozer. Bozer wouldn't see any problem with Mac going out for a run. He didn't know the whole story. As far as Bozer knew, Nikki had died tragically in a car accident and Mac had been gone for two weeks to make arrangements and to attend Nikki's funeral. He had no idea that Mac had been shot in the chest, critically injured, and had spent those two weeks in a hospital bed.

Jack tried to cover up his outburst to protect Mac's cover. "Nothing, I guess. Just surprising is all," Jack stated in a tone that he hoped was convincing.

Bozer gave Jack a long stare, but seemed to accept Jack's explanation as truth. Bozer moved around Jack to hang up his apron and grab his keys. "I'm headed to work. Make sure Mac gets those waffles," Bozer instructed, giving Jack a threatening glance that told him that he wasn't to steal any.

Jack just gave a slight nod of his head in response as Bozer slipped out the door.

He waited a few minutes to make sure that Bozer had in fact left before he sprang into action. He was going to track Mac down and give him a good talkin' to. There's no way that he should be out there running in his current state of health. Jack knew his partner well, so he knew all of the trails that Mac liked to run. He planned on searching every single one of them until he found his partner.

As he moved towards the front door his mind betrayed him with an unbidden image of a pale, sweaty Mac passed out in the middle of a dirt trail. He roughly shook his head trying to dispel the image as he reached for the door knob. His mind was showing him worst case scenarios he told himself. It was possible that Mac could be perfectly fine.

He halted his movement and took a step back when he noticed the door knob start to twist. The door swung open and relief flooded over Jack as Mac stepped in through the doorway. His feeling of relief that his partner was alive was quickly replaced with worry as he gave Mac a quick once over. His partner was alive and before him, but Mac seemed shaky and unsteady on his feet. Not to mention the kid was pale, sweaty, and breathing hard.

Jack's feelings of worry started to mix with anger. He squared his stance and crossed his arms staring Mac down, effectively blocking his path from fully entering into the house. Mac stepped inside and gave a small start when he came face to face with a towering Jack.

"Jack…..I wasn't expecting you…. until later," Mac said in a surprised tone in between harsh pants. His expression was chagrinned as though he was a kid getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"What the HELL do you think you're doin'?!" Jack bellowed unable to keep his emotions in check. Didn't Mac understand that he was worried about him? Didn't he know that Jack had watched him code twice on the way to the hospital that night and that he didn't want to see him die again? Didn't he understand that? Did the kid have a death wish?

Mac avoided Jack's eyes and made a move to step around him, but Jack stood his ground. They were going to talk about this whether Mac wanted to or not. Jack watched as Mac's chagrinned expression turned into one of anger and frustration. It was almost like Jack could visibly see Mac slamming his emotional barriers into place.

Mac took a step back, distancing himself from Jack. He didn't say a word.

"You're supposed to be resting! Not running. _Resting_. What part of the doctor's instructions did you not understand?!" Jack realized his feelings of worry and anger were mixing into a horrible concoction of emotion that was causing his voice to rise in volume.

"I don't need a lecture, Jack," Mac growled, his voice barely audible. "I'm fine." Jack noticed that Mac's chest was still visibly heaving up and down.

"Well, apparently you do. And you'll excuse me if I find it hard to believe that "you're fine" since you're panting like an asthmatic smoker who just ran 3 flights of stairs. You're never going to heal if you keep doing stuff like this," Jack chided. "You know the phrase "time heals all wounds" well the key word here, Mac, is _ **time**_. A few weeks is not enough time for you to be pulling this kind of crap," Jack stated, the reprimand clear in his voice.

Mac still wouldn't look him in the eye. This wasn't how Jack had wanted this conversation to go…his emotions had taken over and had gotten the better of him. He was supposed to reason with Mac, NOT blow up at him. His fear and worry for Mac had made this conversation take on a harsh edge. Jack took in a breath and softened his voice. "You don't have to prove anything to anyone. No one expects you to be okay after Nik…."

"Don't say it," Mac quietly but sharply cut him off, his eyes briefly glancing up at Jack.

Jack saw the hurt reflected in his friend's eyes and decided to take sympathy on him. He gave a knowing nod. "I'm just saying it would be okay for you to rest and to grieve…"

Jack thought he might be getting somewhere with his partner until Mac bent his head down lower and stepped in a move to shove past him. It seemed that since Jack hadn't allowed him to step around, he was going to try to escape by pushing his way through. Jack easily intercepted him by stepping in his path and holding up his hands, "Now just wait a second, bud. Talk to me! You're starting to freak me out here. You can't just keep pushing us all away. You need to talk about this."

"There's nothing _to_ talk about, Jack."

Mac stopped his advance seeming to recognize that it wasn't going to work and instead backed up further. Appearing to realize that he wasn't going to make it past Jack, he turned on his heel and quickly left through the front door which he had just recently entered.

Jack swore under his breath. This was definitely not how this was supposed to go...their conversation had escalated so quickly. Jack jogged through the doorway after his friend.

"Mac! Mac, wait!" Jack called as he followed after his partner. He had just passed through the open door to see Mac a few steps ahead of him on the front path when it happened. It was like he was seeing his worst nightmare unfold in slow motion. Cold panic spread through his chest as he saw Mac stumble and his knees start to buckle.

 **To Be Continued….**

 **Thanks For Reading! Please Leave me a Review : )**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here is the second and last chapter. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, or followed this story. Hopefully the second chapter doesn't disappoint. Also, I decided to try my hand at an OC. Depending on whether the OC is well received, I may add him into some of my future stories. I hope you enjoy!**

 **Time Heals All Wounds**

 **Chapter 2**

Jack quickly rushed forward to catch Mac before his partner hit the unforgiving ground. He caught the kid just in time and he slowly and gently lowered his friend to sit on the edge of the path. Jack could feel his own heart racing and could hear the loud, thumping beat of it in his ears as he reached up a shaky hand to feel Mac's pulse.

It was fast and all over the place, but it was there. Jack sat back on his heels in front of Mac and looked up into the kid's face while keeping one hand on the kid's shoulder to hold him steady. If it was possible, his face had grown even paler than before. Mac had his eyes clenched shut and was panting out short quick breaths.

Jack's heart skipped a beat as Mac raised a shaky hand to ghost over his chest where the recent bullet wound resided. Jack slid his hand to the back of Mac's neck and gave a slight reassuring squeeze.

"Talk to me kiddo. What's wrong?"

"D-dizzy," Mac panted out still keeping his eyes clenched shut.

Their earlier squabble was all but forgotten.

Mac suddenly doubled forward letting out a small groan as he pressed a hand to his still healing bullet wound. Jack let Mac rest against him and he tried to offer some support for his hurting partner. As the young agent rested against him, he reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and started searching for the contact that would dial the emergency medical staff at the DXS.

Calling the agency was his only option for medical assistance. Calling an ambulance would be out of the question, because they had no way of explaining the presence of a bullet wound without divulging top secret information.

"Jack, you don't need to…I'm fine. I just need a minute," Mac said, moving his hand in an attempt to reach for Jack's phone once he realized what he was doing.

Jack noticed the slight wince that crossed over his partner's face as he tried to stop him from making his call and couldn't help but shake his head. The kid was just as stubborn as he was smart. "Sorry, brother non-negotiable." Mac gave him a small glare. "I'm pulling rank on this one."

Jack finally found the contact and made the call. It seemed to ring forever, but finally someone answered. "This is Agent Dalton, requesting emergency medical assistance to current location for Agent MacGyver."

The person on the other line informed him that they would be to his location in 15 minutes. Jack knew that 15 minutes was pretty good time considering the distance they had to travel, but it was going to seem like a long 15 minutes. Having given the information that he needed, he hung up the phone and set it to the side.

At this point Jack had taken a seat next to his partner, allowing his friend to lean against his side. Mac was panting out breaths, had his eyes closed shut, and was still pressing a hand to his chest. Jack had never felt more helpless.

"It's alright kiddo. Helps on the way," He reassured as he rubbed small circles into the kid's back.

Mac nodded his head in acknowledgement and continued to focus on his breathing.

Five minutes passed and Mac's breathing started to even out and he started to blink open his eyes. Mac glanced over at Jack. "Alright, go ahead and say it…"

Jack's forehead crinkled up in confusion as he looked at his partner. "Uh,…what am I saying exactly?"

"You were right and I was wrong. You usually like to throw in an "I told you so" in these kinds of situations. You know, especially since they're such a rare occurrence."

Jack was slightly taken back by Mac's shift in attitude. It was just a second ago that Mac had been mad and closed off. This sounded more like the normal Mac. The Mac that was full of snark and the Mac that liked to fling insults his way. This was sounding more like his partner.

Jack gave a small chuckle. "Whoa! Hey now," Jack said feigning hurt. "You're forgetting that I'm _always_ right. Remember? Good Ol' Jack knows best."

Mac scoffed in reply. "Hmm, that's funny because I can think of a whole list of missions where you're decisions nearly got us killed." Jack didn't miss how the kid's breath hitched at the end of his sentence as though the sentence was too long and required too much air.

"What!? I have never…" Jack began to protest.

Mac started before Jack could finish, "Uruguay, Algeria, Cuba, Siberia, Croatia, Slovakia…"

"Okay. Alright," Jack said, trying to bring a stop to Mac's listing. "I may not….wait a minute! You're giving me the blame for Cuba?!" Jack said in a disbelieving tone, getting sidetracked. "I can't be given _**all**_ of the blame for what happened in Cuba. The disaster in Cuba was a team effort, my friend. It may have been my idea, but it was _**your**_ contraption that ended up bringing the whole building down on top of us," Jack explained. He looked at his partner to see a smirk and an eye roll.

Realizing he wasn't going to gain much ground on his reasoning, he got back to the original topic. "However, I get your point. I may not _always_ be right," Jack conceded.

"Yeah, you're the exception to the rule that with age comes wisdom," Mac teased. "I suggest that you just take the win on this one."

Jack gave a sad smile. "This doesn't feel like much of a win, brother." Jack looked long and hard at his partner. Mac still wasn't looking so great, but it seemed some color had returned to his face. "Still feeling dizzy?"

Mac slowly shook his head no. Jack was encouraged by the fact that Mac was breathing easier and was no longer feeling dizzy; however, Jack couldn't erase all of his worry, because Mac had yet to remove his hand from covering his chest.

"Uh, Jack do you think we could move inside?" Mac almost pleaded.

Jack was considering shooting down his friend's request, because he didn't know if moving him would be a stellar idea, but Jack knew the real reason Mac was asking. He could tell that Mac was feeling vulnerable being out in the open, especially in his current state. He wanted to move inside away from any possible prying eyes and to be in a private location with the comfort of four walls.

"Sure thing, bud," Jack easily gave in. Jack figured that allowing his friend this small comfort might allow the kid to relax more and hopefully feel better. Plus being inside Jack could lay him down on the couch which might be better for him anyways.

Jack pulled the arm on the opposite side of the bullet wound up over his shoulders and snaked his other arm around Mac's waist. He slowly took both of them to standing. "Doing alright?" Jack asked glancing sideways before he went on.

"Yeah, let's get inside," Mac bit out.

Jack slowly started them down the path towards the still open front door. Jack made sure to take on most, if not all, of the kid's weight and set a slow steady pace. Jack maneuvered them through the doorway, down the hall, and into the living room where he sat Mac on the large sofa.

The kid looked dog tired, but Jack happily noticed that Mac's breathing was seemingly normal, the color had all but returned to his face, and he was no longer pressing a hand to his chest. Now this is what Jack would consider a win.

"Alright kiddo, I think you should lie down. The medical staff should be here any minute to give you a once over," Jack said, kneeling before Mac to take off the kid's shoes.

"Is that really necessary? Can't you call and tell them it was a false alarm?" Mac complained. Although Mac complained, Jack noticed that the kid didn't stop him from taking off his shoes.

"Uh no can do, pal. You're getting checked over whether you want to or not." Jack said calmly. But thinking about everything that had happened made his feelings of worry and concern double. "Also, do I have to remind you that this was no false alarm? You freakin' collapsed in the front yard!"

Mac rolled his eyes. "Jack I appreciate the concern, but it's not a big deal. Really, I'm fine."

Jack abruptly stood from his kneel and turned away from Mac rubbing a hand down his face. Jack had had just about enough of this. He wasn't angry. He had never really been angry. It was his worry for Mac taking on a desperate quality. "Not a big deal!? A little over two weeks ago you were in the hospital for a critical bullet wound to the chest. You were rushed into emergency surgery. You need to take this seriously, Mac," Jack ranted and paused to take a hard swallow.

Jack's voice quieted as he continued. "I watched you die…and I can't…. I _**won't**_ do it again," Jack nearly whispered. Jack couldn't stop his voice from breaking, and he moved his eyes downcast as they started to tear up. He closed his eyes and shook his head trying to stop the memories of that night from making their way into his mind. That undoubtedly had been one of the worst nights of his life.

Even though he tried to stop them, images from that night seemingly flashed before his eyes. He could remember with pristine clarity waking up to find himself laying on the pavement with a pounding headache resonating from the back of his skull. He remembered first the confusion and then the dread that had followed when he had opened his eyes to find no Mac, no Nikki, and no bio weapon.

The image changed and he was seeing a wounded Mac whose white shirt was stained red, trying to drag himself out of the dark water and onto shore. The image changed again and Jack could swear he could hear the echoes of his own voice yelling and begging Mac to stay with him as he put pressure on his friend's wound. The last image to flash before his eyes would haunt his dreams for years and years to come. He saw a stone still and unresponsive Mac beneath his hands as he tried to stop the flow of blood gushing from Mac's chest. He could even feel the warm stickiness of the blood pooling and seeping past his fingers…

"Jack? Jack!" It was the desperate pleading in Mac's voice that broke him from his memories and brought him back to the present. His partner's tone and yell gave Jack the impression that this wasn't the first time Mac had said his name trying to break him from his flashback.

The lingering images dissipated. He looked at Mac through watery eyes and could feel one offending tear escape and make a warm trail as it slid down his cheek. Mac wore an odd expression that was a mixture of concern, fear, and guilt.

Jack quickly turned away from his partner to wipe a hand down his face to get rid of the evidence and took in a couple of deep breaths. He took the breaths and reminded himself that although Mac had been shot that night, he had pulled through. His friend was alive. His brother had survived that night.

"Jack?"

Jack spun back around to face his partner when he heard the worry in Mac's voice. Looking back at his friend, he knew he hadn't fooled Mac at all. Jack looked Mac in the eye letting him know the seriousness of the conversation. "You know I just care about you too damn much. You can't do this again. You nearly gave me a heart-attack. Hell, it seems you nearly gave yourself a heart-attack as well. I just want you to be safe."

Mac averted his eyes. They sat in silence for a minute until Mac spoke up with a shaky voice, revealing that the kid was near tears himself. "I'm sorry, Jack. I know this hasn't been easy for you either." Mac hesitated. "I just….I had to get out of the house. Sitting around I just kept thinking about….about that night. I thought the run would clear my head and take my mind off things. Staying here stewing in my thoughts, I just feel like I'm suffocating. I just needed some air," Mac continued in a fast, frantic rant. Jack noticed that Mac's voice was now not only laced with guilt, but was also accompanied by pain and sorrow.

Jack felt an emotional pang cross through his chest, knowing that it was his heart. His strong partner was breaking down right before his very eyes and he couldn't watch it any longer. Jack swiftly moved from his standing position to take a soft seat next to Mac on the couch. He patted Mac on the back as he quietly comforted, "I know, Mac. You don't have to explain. You know we're all here for you, right? Anything you need."

Mac suddenly lifted up his face to look at Jack. Jack saw pure anguish displayed on his friend's face. The blue eyes that met his own were bright and red around the edges due to unshed tears. "Jack…. it's my fault she's gone. If I had just done what they asked or if I had…"

Jack quickly put a stop to his friend's line of thinking by gently interrupting him. "Whoa, bud stop right there. I want this to be very clear. What happened was not your fault. You did everything you could. There wasn't anything you could've done that you didn't already do. It was a godawful situation. There was no winning." Jack looked Mac in the eyes to make sure that his partner was listening to him. "You understand me?"

Mac moved his head, in what Jack hoped was a reluctant, but slight nod. Mac leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees and placed his face in his hands. The kids' slumped posture screamed of loss. Jack knew his message wasn't going to be easy for the kid to accept, but he at least hoped that it was starting to soak into the ginormous brain of his.

Jack was also hoping that this would be the end of Mac's guilt, but he knew that wouldn't be the case. The kid really did have a heart of gold, but the down side was that Mac always found a way to blame himself when things went sideways. When the subject did come up again Jack was for damn sure going to be around to remind the kid that he was not to blame.

The kid seemed exhausted. Jack could tell that Mac was retreating into his head to think things over. It seemed like he just needed some time to process. It was obvious that their talk was done for now. They sat side by side in each other's company until the DXS Doctor and medical staff arrived.

Before Jack knew it, the Doctor and a couple of medical assistants entered into the living room. They hadn't knocked, but had just entered through the still open front door. Jack stood and greeted the Doctor with a friendly smile and a fond handshake. "Heya, Doc! Glad you could make it."

The Doctor on call tonight was Dr. Ian Hope. Jack liked the man. Ian was a Vet himself and was very skilled at what he did. Not only that, but the tall, dark man was the most optimistic person Jack knew. It seemed like the guy always had a smile on his face.

When Ian had to give a patient some bad news, the guy had a way of flip-flopping the polarity of the outcome. It seemed like he was able to put a positive spin on anything. Jack was convinced it was some kind of magical Voodoo or something. It had to be. The guy really didn't even have to say something special to infect the people around him. He just seemed to radiate positive, happy vibes.

Jack had never run into Ian while in the Sand Box, but Jack had no doubt that he was one of the best field Medics out there. Especially with his capability to make the darkest days seem bright. God knows, every soldier needed some of that optimism. Jack had the utmost respect for their resident Dr. Hope. And Jack couldn't help but chuckle when thinking about how corny, yet fitting, the Doc's name was. If anyone could inspire hope it was Ian.

Jack was counting on that. He wanted some of those positive vibes to rub off on Mac. The kid could definitely use some hope right now to show him that there was light at the end of this dark tunnel.

Ian gave one of his blinding smiles in return to Jack's greeting. Jack watched as Ian's eyes looked over to Mac who was still sitting slumped on the couch. Ian had dealt with Mac many times in the past and knew the young man hated Doctors and hospitals. Mac actually didn't have anything against Doctors as long as they weren't treating with him.

It seemed Ian knew it was nothing against him personally; it was just that Mac didn't like to be fussed over. That was another thing that Jack liked about the guy; Dr. Hope knew how to deal with Mac. And, honestly, the kid seemed to really like Ian even though he held Doctor status.

"I'm glad to see that you're in one piece. When I got the call about a medical emergency involving you two, I didn't know what to expect. Considering the trouble you guys attract, I was prepared for anything," Ian said with a smirk, directing the comment at Mac.

Mac didn't even give a response. It was as though he hadn't even heard the comment. Jack saw Ian turn and flash a questioning look his way. It looked like Mac's despair couldn't even be broken by the magical presence of Dr. Hope. It looked like the good Doctor was going to have to pull out the big guns.

Jack watched the Doctor kneel before Mac getting ready to carefully examine him. As Ian did so he tried to get a response out of his young patient. "What up, kid? What you end up getting yourself into this time?" Mac still gave no reply, but at least this time he raised his head to look up at Ian.

Jack could tell that Mac was still not happy that Dr. Hope and the medical assistants were there. Jack guessed that the reason was most likely because Mac hated being vulnerable and he hated it even more when his vulnerability was on display for others.

Dr. Hope seemed to sense this too. "Hey Shelly, Rick would you guys mind waiting out to the van? I'll radio if I need ya. I don't think I will. This should be quick and painless," He said directing a wink at Mac. "This kid is tougher than he looks."

The medical assistants nodded and left. Jack could visibly see Mac's tense posture loosen as the two assistants left the house. Man! This guy was good!

"So someone want to tell me what happened? Or should I start to guess?" Ian said with raised eyebrows.

Jack looked at Mac and saw that it didn't seem like the kid was going to answer, so he decided to take matters into his own hands.

"Our boy here decided it would be a good idea to go for run, despite the orders and instructions given to him by his surgeon. Then he collapsed on the front lawn giving me quite the scare and at least 5 more gray hairs."

Jack was maybe expecting Ian to lightly scold Mac for acting recklessly, but he definitely wasn't expecting the expression of shock and awe that crossed over the black man's face. "You did what now!?" he said turning back to face Mac as he spoke, the surprise and admiration obvious in his tone. "That's mighty impressive! I'm surprised you're still conscious. After an injury like that and the amount of time that has passed, I wouldn't think anyone would be able to make it down the driveway to the mailbox, let alone go for a run! That's pretty amazing…" Jack interrupted the Doctor by clearing his throat. The guy was positive, but he wasn't supposed to encourage this kind of behavior.

Ian seemed almost surprised by Jack's interruption, but a look of understanding showed on his face. Dr. Hope almost seemed embarrassed as he realized what he was doing, but he hastily tried to cover, "But, uh…. definitely ill-advised MacGyver," He said, trying his best to change his look of astonishment to give Mac a stern, disapproving look. "And we can't be givin' your partner anymore gray, can we? He can't afford to get much more," Ian said quietly as though he was keeping the comment from Jack.

That seemed to do the trick. Jack could see that the doctor had put a crack in Mac's cold exterior as Mac's lips turned up into a slight smile. It had Jack wondering if the Doctor had done it on purpose. "It" being the whole charade from the astonishment to the comment about Jack's age.

The Doctor carefully checked Mac's stitches and bandages, blood pressure, and heart. While Dr. Hope was giving the young agent the once over he asked his routine questions. "So how you feeling, Mac? Anything I should know about?"

"I feel fine."

Jack was standing with crossed arms behind Ian to keep an eye on the kid and to make sure that he was being honest. At his partner's response he raised his eyebrows and glared disapproving eyes at Mac from over Ian's shoulder. Mac saw Jack's pointed stare and rolled his eyes. "Now. I feel fine, _now_ ," Mac clarified looking at Jack with a facial expression that said "There. Are you happy?"

"That's a good sign, but can you tell me what happened during the episode?"

Mac looked like he wanted to argue that it was a moot point since he was feeling fine now, but Jack sent him another glare which effectively stopped Mac before he even started.

Reluctantly Mac replied. "After the run I felt dizzy. I had some shortness of breath and some…" Mac paused and looked up at Jack as though he didn't want to admit the next part in front of him, but still he continued, "….and some shooting pains through my chest."

 _Damn!_ Jack swore internally. None of that sounded good. The only thing stopping Jack from being overrun with panic at Mac's admittance was the fact that Ian didn't seem the least bit concerned. Probably another reason the man was so good at what he did; he had a level-head and an aura of calm.

Dr. Hope gave a nod as he started to pack up his medical bag, seemingly done with the examination. "Well, all of those symptoms are normal considering the circumstance. Mac, you should be just fine. I'm guessing the physical activity raised your blood pressure and heart rate which put unnecessary stress on the recent wound."

Ian reached into his bag of tricks, pulled out his hand, and presented two white colored pills to Mac. "I'm just going to give you a little something that will help you sleep and should help to lower your heart rate to a healthy level for some rest and healing."

Mac stared at the pills for a long time as though he was debating whether it was worth it or not to argue. Jack guessed Mac decided that it wasn't worth it, because the kid scooped up the pills and took them without a word of protest. Jack then watched as Ian helped Mac to lie back onto the soft cushions of the couch. The man had to be magic. Someday Jack was going to figure out how Ian got his stubborn headed partner to follow orders or even just simple requests.

Ian stood from his position and started to move toward the door. He walked a few steps before pausing to turn back around to give Mac one of his warm smiles. "Oh, and Mac, no more running until you're healed."

"Hopefully he listens to you better than he does me," Jack said to Ian as he walked the doctor to the door, thanking him for his help. Once Ian had exited, he made his way back to Mac who was lying on the couch looking more and more tired by the second.

"Jack do you really think that time heals all wounds?" Mac sleepily asked. Jack could tell that the medication was already taking affect. Mac usually didn't like to talk about this kind of stuff and Jack suspected that the medication might have something to do with the sudden openness and the out of character question.

"Aahh, so you do listen to what I say on occasion." Jack said while moving to cover Mac with a blanket and claiming the recliner next the couch.

"Every once in a while you say something worth listening to," Mac teased with a smirk.

Jack gave a small chuckle and then stared at his partner bringing back all seriousness to the conversation. "Yeah, I'd have to say I do. I know it's rough right now, but it will eventually get better, bud. Some wounds might take longer than others, but they'll heal. I promise," Jack said, thinking about the emotional scars the mission in Italy would leave on Mac's psyche. "Plus you have your good Ol' Jack to help you along with the healing process. A dinner of my grandma's special chicken noodle soup recipe and a viewing of a Bruce Willis movie is a cure all."

Mac groaned. "Do I really have to sit through another one of your Bruce Willis movies?" Mac complained. "How would you feel if I slept through it?" Mac said with heavy lids.

"That would be alright by me," Jack said with a soft smile. If Mac was resting he had accomplished his goal. He could make the kid re-watch the movie some other time.

Jack popped in the movie and let it play as he watched Mac drift to sleep. The kid was out in a matter of minutes. Jack sat back in the recliner determined to keep an eye on Mac to make sure the kid's sleep wasn't poisoned by nightmares or worst, haunting memories.

Jack knew that the kid didn't fully believe him that things would get better with time, but they would. Jack was going to make sure of it.

 **The End.**

 **I hope you enjoyed!**

 **I'm considering possibly doing a sequel to this story about Mac and Jack's thoughts when they learn of Nikki's betrayal, but I'm not sure….. anyways, be sure to tell me what you think! I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please leave me a review :)**


End file.
